Strong Mt. P. mayor gets weak reception

MOUNT PLEASANT -- Mayor Billy Swails' bid for a referendum on whether to give the mayor more power received no backing Monday from a Town Council committee he chairs.

In the absence of committee support, Swails said he would work for a referendum another way: starting a petition to obtain the signatures of at least 15 percent of the town's 30,000 registered voters.

No town money would be spent on the petition drive, which Swails said he would initiate as a private resident.

"We just need to see what our citizens think," he said.

Swails advocates that the town have a "strong mayor/weak council" government like Charleston and North Charleston. Instead, it has a "weak mayor/strong council" as do Sullivan's Island and Isle of Palms.

Mayor Pro Tem Thomasena Stokes-Marshall, a member of the Police, Judicial & Legal Committee, said a strong mayor system would diminish the council's ability to have an open, equal exchange of information. She noted that no constituents have contacted her about the need for such a change.

Councilmen Elton Carrier and Chris Nickels, who also serve on the committee, agreed and said the current system works well.

"There is nothing personal about any of this," Carrier said.

Under state law, a referendum on changing the form of government must be held within 90 days of either two favorable council votes on the issue or a successful petition drive to collect the required number of signatures.

If a majority of registered voters approve the change to the strong mayor form of government, it could not be implemented until after all council members at the time of the vote finish their terms. Two new council members have more than three years remaining on their tenure.

A strong mayor has powers that include presiding over the council, appointment and removal of employees and supervision of departments. He or she prepares and submits a budget and capital improvements program; makes an annual financial report to the public and council; and reports to the council on department operations, according to the Municipal Association of South Carolina.

Swails said the town needs an elected, full-time executive who has the power to make decisions on the run and not have to go through the council for everything. Mount Pleasant has reached a "tipping point" on the issue because it has become the fourth-largest municipality in the state, with a budget of $60 million, he said.

Swails said his request for the referendum is not a power grab.

"This is not about me. It is about this community," he said.

Swails said that if the town changes to a strong mayor system, he would not seek another term because he could not work full time as an insurance agent and mayor.

Mount Pleasant's eight council members and the mayor are elected at large, which means each council member represents the entire city. Under the current weak mayor system, Swails presides over meetings, performs ceremonial duties and calls special meetings but has no significant power under the law beyond that of other council members.

Swails said his request is not a reflection on town staff.

"We have a great administrator," he said, referring to Eric DeMoura.

DeMoura, administrator since October 2010, manages nine departments and 623 employees, according to the town's website.